Student Games Maker bids for Christmas No 1

11 Dec 2012

A University of Manchester student, who formed a choir from the popular army of volunteers working at the Olympics and Paralympics, is bidding for top spot in the Christmas charts this year.

Victoria Verbi, who formed the Games Maker Choir, says her experience in London was so inspirational that she wants to raise enough money to make a difference for up and coming Olympians and Paralympians.

The third year Geography student from London conducted 'I Wish For You the World' with Top Ten singer/songwriter Alistair Griffin and 30 of the choir's singers at the famous Angel studios in Islington.

Backed by record label Decca, and endorsed by London Mayor Boris Johnson, Olympic gold medallist rower Katherine Grainger, and MP and former Olympics Minister Dame Tessa Jowell, the 400-strong choir are set to release the single on 16th December.

The song will also feature in BBC Sports Personality of the Year's coverage.

It's the second time Verbi - a singer/actor from a musical family - has formed a choir: while on her gap year in Peru, she brought a group of children together to sing from the orphanage where she was based.

The 21-year-old final year student said: " Leading a choir of 400 is something I had never dreamed of being able to do but with only a few days away from the single's launch, this dream is becoming a reality.

“My time as a Games Maker was one of the best things I have ever done and the choir is our way to help keep the legacy of London 2012 alive.

"Not that it wasn't hard work: I had to get up at 4am to start the 6.30 shift and as a team leader looked after a team of 12.

"We provided security to the main gate, working with the MOD. Everyone was so friendly and the atmosphere was amazing: I loved hearing the roars from the Olympic stadium and knowing that I was apart of such an historical event."

Since their first performance at the Olympic Park during the Olympics, the choir has gone from strength to strength, performing on radio and to the public.

They also performed on The Mall at the Athletes Parade on 10 September, another unforgettable moment she said.

She added: "I expected it all to die down but it has just kept going: so many of the choir have told me how much this has changed their lives.

“Increasingly the Games Maker Choir is becoming something so much more than just a choir, it represents hope and joy.

"At the end of the day, it's about keeping the Olympic legacy alive and raising as much money as possible.

"It's been hard juggling my final year with choir - but my tutors in geography have been fantastic- many thanks to them.

"But it's also about making your dreams come true. If you really want to make something happen, you have to believe in yourself."

'I Wish for You the World' is available to download from Amazon and itunes from the 16th December and proceeds will be donated to the British Olympic Foundation and British Paralympic Association.

It will be used to develop and create opportunities for aspiring young people in pursuit of obtaining their Olympic and Paralympic dreams.